Gambling revenue up in South Africa
Gross gambling revenues were up 3.5% to €1.1 billion over the 12 months between March 31 2017 and the same date this year.
South Africa.- Employment rates and the local economy as a whole isn’t doing very well in South Africa but the gambling segment still managed to outperform itself. In the 12 months ended on March 31, the industry posted a 3.5% growth in gross gambling revenue to €1.1 billion, the Casino Association of South Africa (CASA) revealed.
CASA recently released its 2018 Survey of Casino Entertainment in South Africa and reported the good performance by the industry. State coffers received €365 million from the segment, which recovered from a 1.8% contraction experienced in 2017.
“With illegal gambling operations cropping up with alarming frequency, the casino industry has had to adapt to operating with invisible competitors,” Casa CEO Themba Ngobese explained, “besides advocating for more concerted action to be taken by law enforcement.”
However, not only did CASA warned about “illegal establishments (which) are still growing and are now in the form of entertainment centres,” but also about how dangerous proposed legislation changes could end up being for the gambling industry: “The draft Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, for example, could see all smoking banned in enclosed public places, including current designated smoking areas, and should this Bill be passed, casinos could see as much as an 18% drop in GGR nationally, which translates to around €189 million,” the association explained.
